Chin Up! Partners with Make-A-Wish Foundation

Perhaps you remember John and Anthony, the high school friends and college sophomores who created Chin Up!- an app much like an anonymous, communal, and kind version of Twitter. An app, now making itself more and more visible on college campuses, that seeks to bring students together while they compliment and give shout-outs to one another. An app that will now harness the fervour of college students and the accessibility of social media to uplift children that could use a note of positivity.

In November, John and Anthony, successfully partnered Chin Up! with the Make-A-Wish foundation of Connecticut.

This partnership with the Make-A-Wish foundation was something that was always on the back of their minds during the conception of the app. While Chin Up! was still a blueprint, Anthony stumbled upon some Make-A-Wish videos on YouTube. He says that, “watching the stories of these amazingly strong children battle the unimaginable, I realized that if we have an app that reaches thousands of people, those thousands of people can reach these amazing children.” Anthony stresses how these children need to know that they have the support of a lot of people, and when he realized that Chin Up! could be an excellent means of doing this, they made it a priority to partner with Make-A-Wish.

Anthony and John eventually got in touch with Michael Dominick, the Make-A-Wish Connecticut Community and Media Relations Manager and Nicole Miles, the Volunteer Coordinator. Chin Up!, it was decided, would be an accurate and effective partner for Make-A-Wish. Along with Dominick and Miles, John and Anthony teased out the logistics. They decided that they will intermittently feature children on the app so users can send positive messages. The Chin Ups! will then be compiled into a hard copy book, which will be delivered to the kids the night before their wish is granted. Currently, Chin Up! is only partnered with Make-A-Wish Connecticut, but the goal is to have every single state involved. Whether you’re a Chin-Up! user from Massachusetts or California, everyone will see the same child. Because they realize that people might miss a featured child, John and Anthony have constructed the app so that users can view all of the previously featured kids and send them Chin Ups! whenever. If the deadline has passed, the later submissions will be sent as postcards.

As it would turn out, the first featured child is not from Make-A-Wish. When Anthony was scrolling through his Facebook feed one night, he saw the story of a young girl named Safyre. She was in a house fire recently where she lost her family and now suffers from severe burns. Young Safyre has been consistently in and out of the hospital. Anthony read that all she wants for Christmas are Christmas cards. When he saw that, he instantly knew Chin Up! could give her just that. After just one morning of featuring Safyre, there were already dozens of Chin Up! submissions from schools like Holy Cross, Sacred Heart University, UConn, and UVA. Anthony and John are so happy to be sending Safyre Chin Ups! and they hope she loves reading them when she gets the book in the mail.

Anthony tells me how he thought, “if we end up having thousands and thousands of users, that many people can do a lot of good.” Thank you Anthony and John for reminding us that we can do a lot of good, and for giving us a means to do so. It is quite easy to lose faith when we get caught up in the unstable climate of the world. Yet when we bring it to an individual level, like John and Anthony allow us to do with their app, we can see that there is still so much more love in the world. We are reminded how we are all in this together, and we are reminded- in the words of Anne Frank- that “people are really good at heart.”

17 Empowering Bible Verses For Women

We all have those days where we let the negative thoughts that we're "not good enough," "not pretty enough" or "not smart enough" invade our minds. It's easy to lose hope in these situations and to feel like it would be easier to just give up. However, the Bible reminds us that these things that we tell ourselves are not true and it gives us the affirmations that we need. Let these verses give you the power and motivation that you're lacking.

1. Proverbs 31:25

"She is clothed with strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future."

2. Psalm 46:5

"God is within her, she will not fall."

3. Luke 1:45

"Blessed is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her."

4. Proverbs 31:17

"She is energetic and strong, a hard worker."

5. Psalm 28:7

"The Lord is my strength and my shield."

6. Proverbs 11:16

"A gracious woman gains respect, but ruthless men gain only wealth."

7. Joshua 1:9

"Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

8. Proverbs 31:30

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised."

9. 1 Corinthians 15:10

"By the grace of God, I am what I am."

10. Proverbs 31:26

"When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness."

11. Psalm 139:14

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made."

12. 1 Peter 3:3-4

"Don't be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God."

13. Colossians 2:10

"And in Christ you have been brought to fullness."

14. 2 Timothy 1:7

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline."

15. Jeremiah 29:11

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'"

16. Exodus 14:14

"The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm."

17. Song of Songs 4:7

"You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way."

Next time you're feeling discouraged or weak, come back to these verses and use them to give you the strength and power that you need to conquer your battles.

8 Old Katelyn Tarver Songs You Probably Haven't Heard

Years ago, I found (through iTunes recommendations) a pretty cool female artist. Later found out she was on "Big Time Rush", and then I found out she had some new songs out. I decided to give her new songs a listen, and they're good. However, I prefer some of her older stuff, which sadly isn't on Spotify. Fortunately, YouTube exists, and I'm here to share the best ones.

1. "Wonderful Crazy"

This is just a fun, upbeat song for when you're having a good day. Would recommend playing in your car with the windows rolled down.

2. "Rain"

I have a very specific memory of a time when this song blessed my life, but for all intents and purposes, it is a beautiful and happy song.

3. "I'll Make It Real"

This is a beautiful song with a wonderful message about staying true to yourself. I used to listen to it on the way to school every day my senior year of high school.

4. "Something In Me"

Featured in the greatest show of all time, "South of Nowhere" season 1 episode 6. A very relatable breakup mood.

5. "Love Alone"

This is definitely the second-hardest-hitting song she's ever released. The fact that this is not on Spotify or even iTunes anymore is just not fair.

6. "Favorite Girl"

This one's cute and upbeat, a definite crush mood. Not on the same level as "Love Alone", but it's still underrated.

7. "Closer to My Heart"

Another cute love song. I'll tie it with "Everything" for cutest love song on her first album. Highly recommend both.

8. "Chasing Echoes"

Facts are facts and the facts are that Katelyn Tarver's new stuff could never go as hard as "Chasing Echoes". I can't even begin to explain how deeply these lyrics cut through me when I was fifteen. Even now, this song can take me all the way back. She is robbing us by not making this available on streaming services (or even to purchase). Katelyn, bring this song back, I am begging you.

Anyway, I'm still enjoying the new stuff and am excited to see what's next.